how to series: how to bake beets from scratch

i decided to do a how-to series of posts. my take on how-to's. it might be a little backwards, but informative, and hopefully helpful to someone. this is how i navigate through new tasks to learn new skills in my life. this is how i do it.

second of my how to's is something i thought was very daunting... cooking beets from scratch. in australia, beet's also known as "beetroot " has it's own container in the fridge, and i learned to love them while i was there. as i was looking up the spelling of beetroot (fact about me: i can't spell! just wasn't sure if it had a space or not...), i learned that beetroot is the proper way to say it, us americans just like to be improper and call them beets.

it is so much easier to just pick up a can of beets and call it a day, but it is cheaper (and probably better for you) to buy them fresh and bake them yourself. i found buying just one bunch of beets and baking them, lasted way longer than buying a can. it is also pretty simple.

now, the how to's of it all...

you will need:

a bunch of beets

baking dish (pyrex kind)

foil

an oven

how to do it:

pre-heat your oven to 375 F (190 C)

use a damp paper towel to scrub the beets (no need to peel ahead of time)

place your beets in the baking dish

cover tightly with foil

bake for one hour

when finished, the skin will peel off pretty easy, just use a sharp knife to get it started

be sure to poke your beets to check that they are tender after the hour, and cook longer if necessary.

you can use your beets in plenty of recipes. they are great by themselves, roasted with some olive oil and sea salt. i made a delicious quinoa salad, using chopped beets, cucumber, and black beans. eat them on a burger (yum!)... the possibilities are endless! maybe ill try a beet smoothie next...

do you have any good beet recipes you would like to share? do you cook your beets using a different method?

love, kbn